Are data structures and algorithms important to Graphics Programming?

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I have learned C++ well and I want to do some graphics programming,specificly ray tracing or radiosity.
I am wondering if the materials(List,Sorting,Searching,Binary Trees and Graph etc.) covered in the course of "Data Structures and Algorithms" are important. I am not in a CS major so I have to learn myself.
Any comments are appreciated.
[edited by - merlin74 on August 14, 2003 5:24:34 PM]

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Guest Anonymous Poster

Guest Anonymous Poster

Pretty darn important if you want to do anything even remotely complex. The topics are not too difficult to grasp with some effort. Its all about how to store and manipulate data, which is all graphics programming is.

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If you''re going to do ray-tracing, you will need some method or system of organizing your scene data. Elegant, efficient, and implementable methods of this are usually going to require use of a data organization method somewhat more complex than an array of char. Be prepared to master trees, sorting, searching, lists... the whole enchilada.

Like it or not, going beyond the "Hello World" stage is usually going to require some sort of data structure, and some use of algorithms.

The upside of it is, it is all a great deal of fun, and imagine the possibilities that will open up when you have the basic AND advanced tools in your toolbox.